Friday, September 5, 2014

Once there was a sculpture

Clay model entitled ' Seated Figure', done in 1968

The days
spent at Tanjung were formative years in my development as an artist.
In 1968 barely 5 years after Sarawak jointly formed Malaysia with Sabah,
Malaya and Singapore, I was studying art in Form Five as an exam subject for my School Cambridge. In that year I made a sculpture in clay called 'Seated Figure'. My initial and the year the work was done are inscribed on the sculpture. My days spent at Tanjung Lobang School (and later named Tanjung Lobang College) were 1967-68 (Form Four - Form Five) and 1969-70 (Lower Six -Upper Six). Those were days of creative freedom that instilled in me a deep and lasting passion for the arts, fine arts and performing arts. These were fully encouraged by the school principal by the name of Robert Nicholl. The conducive environment provided by the school and the expert guidance of our art teacher Mr. Voong Kiat Hui made us enjoy art in ways that have far lasting impact after we left the school, and continues to this day. I still keep this clay model and is a prized collection for me. I have written quite extensively about Mr. Voong . The links are here,more here and finally here.

On reflection I really feel fortunate to have studied at Tanjung Lobang School and especially the art instruction I received there. In many ways it has given me a rounded education that encouraged creativity and passion for the arts - fine arts and performing as well.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak!!

(Note: On the 16th of September, Sarawak will celebrate its independence being a party to the formation of Malaysia.
As part of remembering history I'll create some posts on what it means
to be a Malaysian as I have experienced it. Check out the rest of the
postings by following this linkhere.)